As the reach and population of Apex Legends continue to grow, so too, must the game’s developer in order to ensure the ball keeps rolling.
Far from a one-trick pony, Respawn Entertainment has become a multi-game studio since its acquisition by EA, with its aforementioned battle royale, the on-hiatus (for now, at least) Titanfall series and, of course, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, making it responsible for some of the best games released this console generation. Naturally, such rapid growth has resulted in a need for more able-bodied staff and office space in which to accommodate them. As a live service, frequent and reliable delivery of fresh content is key to ensuring the game’s success going forward, which is why a new Vancouver-based studio dedicated to exactly that is due to open soon.
Speaking to Games Industry in a recent interview, head of operations at Respawn, Henry Lee, details why it decided on Vancouver and what the expansion will mean for Apex going forward.
This is a great opportunity, not just for the Vancouver studio to bring some new creative challenges to people already there, but also to the local industry in terms of being part of the Apex Legends roadmap. So we’re very excited about bringing this to Vancouver and hopefully greater Canada as well, because we can tap into much more of a talent base broadly.
A promising future ahead, then, though it remains to be seen when the Vancouver studio will be up and running at the full speed. Due to the spread of COVID-19 and subsequent introduction of social distancing measures around the world, the newly-assembled team is working remotely. Not an ideal situation at the best of times, least of all when the measures are in place for a team that has yet to properly acclimatize.
Regardless, this will assuredly turn out to be a worthwhile investment for Respawn and Apex Legends players alike and we look forward to seeing how the game evolves in the months and years to come as a result.